Heat Pumps

On our blog, United’s Kate Shonk discusses the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council’s (EIBC’s) newly released roadmap for achieving affordable heating for residential buildings in Michigan. The report was prepared for Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and includes several goals, findings, and policy recommendations to enable an affordable building electrification transition in the Great Lakes State.

In an era of growing energy demand and federal rollbacks, states cannot afford to leave cost-effective, commonsense energy efficiency solutions on the table. Our blog explores how energy-efficient building codes can be used as a powerful tool for states to increase grid flexibility, meet rising load growth, and ensure long-term energy affordability.

Much has been said about the risks to the gas utility industry in this era of market transition, wherein electric appliances are out-competing traditional furnaces and water heaters year over year. United’s Sarah Steinberg discusses a new set of metrics that can inform the next era of gas and electric heating regulation to lower customer bills and increase electric grid efficiency and flexibility in this first edition of our blog series, “Affordable Heat Powered by Policy.”

In Michigan, gas utilities are rapidly spending on capital-intense pipeline replacement and modernization projects, leading to higher delivery costs for their customers. By 2030, Consumers Energy gas customers are likely to see bill increases of 49% because of the utility’s own projected pipeline spending. United’s Kate Shonk outlines several strategies policymakers can take to lead the Wolverine State toward smarter, safer, and affordable advanced energy technologies that can serve Michigan homes and businesses with low-cost, reliable heat.

United’s Shawn Kelly and Sarah Steinberg discuss United’s latest report with Demand Side Analytics, which identifies ways in which Massachusetts could support electrification without abandoning its energy conservation and long-term system cost containment imperatives. The report’s findings discovered that a time-of-use (TOU) electric rate, paired with enhanced energy efficiency efforts, can significantly reduce residential energy bills for electrified homes while mitigating rate increases for all homes.